Hydrocarbon synthesis

Claim 1

THE PROCESS OF MANUFACTURING HYDROCARBONS FROM A SYNTHESIS GAS MIXTURE CONTAINING CARBONS MONOXIDE AND HYDROGEN WHEREIN A FINELY DIVIDED SYNTHESIS CATALYST IS CONTACTED WITH THE SYNTHESIS GAS MIXTURE WHILE IN FLUIDIZED STATE, SAID PROCESS BEING CARRIED OUT IN A CLOSED PROCESS ZONE CONTAINING AN UPPER CATALYST ZONE, AN INTERMEDIATE COOLING ZONE COMPRISING A GROUP OF VERTICAL REACTION TUBES, A LOWER CATALYST ZONE, A CATALYST REACTIVATION ZONE DISPOSED CENTRALLY OF, SURROUNDED BY, AND COMMUNICATING WITH SAID REACTION TUBES, AND COMPRISING A CONDUIT LEADING FROM SAID UPPER ZONE TO SAID LOWER ZONE AND PASSING CENTRALLY THROUGH SAID COOLING ZONE, SAID PROCESS COMPRISING MAINTAINING IN SAID UPPER ZONE A SUSPENSION OF THE SYNTHESIS CATALYST IN REACTION GAS IN DENSE FLUIDIZED STATE, CONTINUOUSLY PASSING THE SYNTHESIS CATALYST IN FLUIDIZED CONDITION FROM SAID UPPER ZONE TO SAID REACTIVATION ZONE, REMOVING HIGH MOLECULAR WEIGHT REACTION PRODUCTS FROM THE CATALYST PARTICLES IN SAID REACTIVATION ZONE BY CONTACTING THE SYNTHESIS CATALYST WITH A GAS RICH IN HYDROGEN, WITHDRAWING THE SYNTHESIS CATALYST IN A FLUIDZED CONDITION FROM THE REACTIVATION ZONE DOWNWARDLY THROUGH SAID CONDUIT TO SAID LOWER ZONE, FEEDING SAID SYNTHESIS GAS INTO ADMIXTURE WITH THE CATALYST FROM SAID LOWER ZONE AT THE LOWER PORTION OF SAID REACTION TUBES TO FORM A DILUTE MIXTURE OF SYNTHESIS CATALYST THEREIN AND THEN PASSING SAID DILUTE MIXTURE UPWARDLY THROUGH SAID COOLING ZONE IN A PLURALITY OF CONFINED STREAMS IN SAID TUBES UNDER SYNTHESIS CONDITIONS OF TEMPERATURE AND PRESSURE INTO THE BOTTOM OF SAID UPPER CATALYST ZONE TO FORM THE DENSE FLUDIZED BED OF SYNTHESIS CATALYST IN SAID UPPER ZONE.